Virulent

The Release (Volume 1)

De: Shelbi Wescott

Narrado por: Laci Morgan

Lucy King is only an hour away from embarking on the most incredible vacation of her life: White sandy beaches in a tropical paradise, snorkeling and sunbathing in peaceful tranquility. But as Lucy looks forward to her trip, a sinister plot is unfolding that will demolish the world as she knows it. An unknown bioterrorist group unleashes a virus that virtually wipes out the earth's population-leaving Lucy, and a small faction of survivors, trapped inside her high school to wait out the apocalypse. War, looting, and death wreak havoc outside the school; inside, the students must contend with a tyrannical and paranoid principal and their own struggles of being orphaned, frightened, and unsure of what the future will bring. What begins as a basic fight for survival turns into a search for answers that will challenge everything Lucy has ever known about her life and her family.

©2013 Shelbi Wescott (P)2014 Shelbi Wescott

loved it

I loved it but am vary frustrated to find that the other two books in the trilogy have been realised in book form but not on audible.

Great YA Virus Novel

Entertaining read for the younger crowd. Lot of action and intriguing plot that sets the ground for a strong series. Will be interesting to see how the characters develop further in the next books.

Excellent new series in YA dystopian genre!

Any additional comments?

Virulent: The Release by Shelbi Wescott is a compelling bio terrorism story that is reminiscent of Robin Cook's Outbreak and Stephen King's The Stand. The story centers on Lucy, a typical high school student who is getting ready for a family vacation during the school year, which means she has several homework assignments that need completed during the vacation. Having forgotten her homework at school, Lucy quickly returns to school to pick it up before heading to the airport. However, by the time she arrives at school, the school on lock down; fearing her mother’s wrath, Lucy enters the school anyway with an “easy in, easy out” plan that should only take 5 minutes. Unbeknownst to Lucy, a deadly virus was dispersed around the world that kills 99% of the population within a few hours. Before the end of the day, Lucy is trapped in the school with her best friend Salem, a classmate named Grant, and an insane principal named Spencer who wants them dead so he can retain full reign over the school’s limited water and food supply. The rest of the story is about their escape, what happens afterwards, and finding a few answers to “How did this happen?”

I listened to the Audible version of this story narrated by Laci Morgan who did an outstanding job. She portrayed Lucy as a likable teenager surrounded by unbelievable events who never lost hope of escaping. Laci had great intonation and pace and differing voices for characters male and female. Plus, she kept the story suspenseful throughout. For example, even though the majority of this story takes place at the school, I couldn’t help but feel the urgency behind Lucy and her friends trying to find a way out. I attribute this to great narration, especially because her characterization of Lucy, Salem and Grant was so realistic.

Simply put, I highly recommend this audiobook to any fan of YA dystopian novels. I’m really looking forward to listening to the next book in the series!

Well below expectations

What would have made Virulent better?

The writing appeared to be entry level. There were many many social, physical, and behavioral errors in the story. It also appears to be self published as Author Press is a printing company. Self Publishing is fine but I would like to know it before I buy. Please correct me if I misunderstand this. Thanks